R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal

Portugal: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent)
Change on year
up 9.8%
World rank
16th
of 28 countries
All-time high
41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
All-time low
12,784 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2007
Years of data
17
2007–2023

R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal, 2007–2023

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k2007201520232007: 12.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2008: 14.5k Persons (full-time equivalent)2009: 13.9k Persons (full-time equivalent)2010: 14.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2011: 16.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2012: 15.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2013: 16.2k Persons (full-time equivalent)2014: 17.3k Persons (full-time equivalent)2015: 18.3k Persons (full-time equivalent)2016: 19.4k Persons (full-time equivalent)2017: 22.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2018: 23.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2019: 26.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2020: 30.9k Persons (full-time equivalent)2021: 34.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2022: 37.9k Persons (full-time equivalent)2023: 41.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).

Analysis

Portugal recorded 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in 2023. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.

That represents a change of up 9.8% on the previous year and up 156.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal peaked at 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12,784 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2007.

Portugal ranks 16th of 28 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Portugal, 2007 to 2023.
Year Persons (full-time equivalent) Change
2007 12,784 Persons (full-time equivalent)
2008 14,510 Persons (full-time equivalent) +13.5%
2009 13,922 Persons (full-time equivalent) -4.1%
2010 14,036 Persons (full-time equivalent) +0.8%
2011 16,030 Persons (full-time equivalent) +14.2%
2012 15,668 Persons (full-time equivalent) -2.3%
2013 16,220 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.5%
2014 17,348 Persons (full-time equivalent) +7.0%
2015 18,283 Persons (full-time equivalent) +5.4%
2016 19,367 Persons (full-time equivalent) +5.9%
2017 22,022 Persons (full-time equivalent) +13.7%
2018 23,662 Persons (full-time equivalent) +7.4%
2019 26,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) +13.2%
2020 30,872 Persons (full-time equivalent) +15.2%
2021 34,663 Persons (full-time equivalent) +12.3%
2022 37,874 Persons (full-time equivalent) +9.3%
2023 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) +9.8%

Portugal compared with similar countries

  • Portugal's 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) is below the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 88% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • Portugal's 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 98% of the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 13,739 Persons (full-time equivalent) 12,784 Persons (full-time equivalent) 14,510 Persons (full-time equivalent) 3
2010s 18,943 Persons (full-time equivalent) 14,036 Persons (full-time equivalent) 26,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) 10
2020s 36,247 Persons (full-time equivalent) 30,872 Persons (full-time equivalent) 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) 4

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 13 Switzerland 58,899 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  2. 14 Czechia 51,174 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  3. 15 Denmark 43,014 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  4. 17 Hungary 36,881 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  5. 18 Finland 35,355 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  6. 19 Norway 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More economy & growth data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal?
R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal was 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 12,784 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2007.
How does Portugal rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
Portugal ranks 16th out of 28 countries with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 156.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-in-the-business-enterprise-sector-by-main-activity-r-and-d-personnel/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy)
Unit
Persons (full-time equivalent)
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
40 places, 587 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

This table presents research and development (R&D) statistics on personnel in the business enterprise sector. Measured in full-time equivalent are the number of total R&D personnel and researchers in the business enterprise sector by industry according to the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) revision 4. Data at the industry level are presented from 2000, first year from which some countries converted their data from ISIC rev.3.1 to the current ISIC rev. 4 classification.